A new day for Laketran has finally arrived.
The agency recently debuted and deployed 10 35-foot New Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE electric transit buses transitioning 60 percent of its local route bus fleet to zero-emission vehicles.
Laketran is using the “industry’s leading” ABB en route fast-charging system that allows buses to charge throughout the day, without returning to base for traditional depot charging, officials noted.
A community celebration for the deployment of the battery-operated electric bus fleet — and dedication of the Wickliffe Transit Center located at 29551 Lakeland Blvd. — was held this week.
Laketran Board President Brian Falkowski said the agency is committed to making public transportation in Lake County a model of sustainable practices.
“We are improving the transit experience for our riders while operating the cleanest and most efficient transportation in the state,” he added. “We’re reducing emissions and noise pollution while saving thousands in fuel and maintenance costs, and we’re excited to bring the transit industry’s latest technology to the Lake County and the region.”
Wickliffe Park-n-Ride renovation
In addition to the new fleet, Laketran has transformed the Wickliffe Park-n-Ride into a modern transit hub, complete with parking lot renovation and construction of a multi-modal transit center providing indoor and outdoor waiting areas, public restrooms, real-time route information, bike racks, and Wi-Fi.
The Park-n-Ride lot also offers four public-access electric vehicle charging stations and en route electric bus infrastructure allowing the Laketran to electrify the local fixed routes that operate from the transit center.
Laketran also operates daily commuter express service from the Park-n-Ride between western Lake County and downtown Cleveland.
Competitive grant programs from the Federal Transit Administration primarily funded the $2.3 million transportation infrastructure project.
The parking lot reconstruction and transit center was designed and engineered by Mentor-based CT Consultants and Tec, Inc. Engineering and Design from Willoughby and constructed by JTO, Inc. of Mentor and Engelke Construction Solutions of Brunswick, officials noted.
Other local firms involved in construction were project electricians V.L. Chapman of Grand River and Zenith Systems of Bedford Heights.
Laketran’s Electric Bus program
Laketran’s $11.7 million investment in the zero-emission electric buses and electric vehicle-charging infrastructure is the largest in clean transportation for Northeast Ohio, the agency confirmed.
In addition to the replacement of diesel buses with zero-emission electric vehicles, Laketran is in the process of installing six ABB fast chargers that allow for en route vehicle charging.
Various Federal Transportation Administration and Environmental Protection Agency grant programs aimed to reduce diesel emissions and improve air quality and public transit access are funding Laketran’s electric buses and charging infrastructure program.
“We’re very conscious of the impact transportation has on the environment,” said Laketran CEO Ben Capelle. “We’re replacing 12-year-old diesel engines with a vehicle that is powered by a battery pack — this means no diesel fuel, no oil changes, no combustion engine replacements or exhaust systems to maintain.”
With support from Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown and Congressman Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge Township, Laketran secured several competitive federal grants through the Federal Transit Administration to fund the Park-n-Ride renovation, charging infrastructure and its battery-operated electric fleet conversion to bring modern electric bus technology to Northeast Ohio.
“I would like to thank Sen. Brown’s office, the Ohio EPA, NOACA and our local community partners for their letters of support that helped Laketran provide competitive grant applications to support our electric bus conversion program,” Capelle said.
